


Touch the Sky

by FaultyParagon



Series: Canon-Compliant/Canon-Rooted RWBY Fics [15]
Category: RWBY
Genre: 100 Drabble Challenge, Action/Adventure, Amputation, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Crimes & Criminals, Dismemberment, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Male-Female Friendship, Mercury Black-centric, Mercury is one of my fave RWBY boys, One-Sided Attraction, Surgery, This is just a mess, Unhealthy Relationships, Villains, and we need to APPRECIATE HOW GOOD OF A CHARACTER HE IS, baby!Mercury is so somft and i want to protecc, not through my writing though because oof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2020-10-26 12:27:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 100
Words: 12,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20742182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaultyParagon/pseuds/FaultyParagon
Summary: Mercury Black wasn't made in a day. Without a Semblance, his legs, or anyone by his side, the world taught him far too quickly that power was all it took to succeed- and Mercury would need all the power he could get. He'd reach the sky eventually.-An examination of Mercury's life in canon, from childhood until V6 and beyond, explored through 100 drabbles using the 100 Prompts Challenge.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Similar to how _No Compromise_ examined Adam, here's my take on Mercury's journey. Stay tuned, y'all.
> 
> This is the original 100 Prompt Challenge that has floated around online for years. 100 prompts, 100 chapters, 100 words each- just brief introspective snippets into Mercury's life. Canon conversations will likely not be repeated, due to word count, but it will be as canon-compliant as possible.
> 
> Content warning: Nothing will be explicit past what the show does, but this fic does have mentions of violence, self-harm, sexual/physical/emotional abuse, and foul language. Read at your own discretion.

**1\. Introduction**

It was quiet on the hill.

Mercury liked the quiet. Quiet mornings with Mama were the best- she'd wake him up gently, murmuring warmth and love into his ear.

The fog always settled at the base of the hill where their little cottage sat, streaks of pale sunlight breaking through the hanging cloud, casting the world in a pale lemon haze.

Mama had these headaches sometimes. They hurt her terribly. She blamed it on the fog, on the damp, on the chill in the air.

But Mama would never leave, because she was waiting. For who, Mercury didn't know; but for whoever it was, he was happy to wait with her, in the quiet on the hill.


	2. Complicated

**2\. Complicated**

The faint outline he could trace in his memories belonged to Papa, apparently. He didn’t know who that was, but Mama loved him, so Mercury loved him, too.

Whenever she sighed longingly as she stared out into the never-ending fog at the top of that hill, he joined her.

“Is Papa coming home soon?” he asked, voice curious and bright.

And she smiled, running her fingers through his slate-coloured hair. “He will,” she murmured dreamily each and every time. “I can’t wait.”

“What’s he doing? Where did he go?”

Twitch. Fingers tightened in his hair for just one second. It hurt. “Keeping us safe.”

But she didn’t smile when she said that.


	3. Making History

**3\. Making History**

****The day they stopped waiting, his mother beamed in the most breathtaking way. “Welcome home,” she murmured sweetly, holding Mercury’s shoulders. He bowed his head, quiet and meek by the door while the silhouette approached.

And then, out of the fog, came _him. _

Mercury didn’t know who this man was, but he recognized the shock of white hair that countered his mother’s dark locks so perfectly, the same dark eyes he saw every morning in the mirror when his mother helped him brush his teeth.

And when he saw the man press a kiss on his mother’s cheek, and her smile grew further, Mercury recognized that love, too. So, he beamed, too. “Welcome home!”


	4. Rivalry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'Spend Quarantine Completing Ongoing Works' challenge continues. After looking at all my ongoing works right now, I've decided to focus on this one and _Right Amount of Sugar_ next. I'm aiming to get at least one chapter out a day, if not multiple- the story is pretty much all planned already, after all.

**4\. Rivalry**

That welcome was never returned to him.

He didn't understand why Mama didn't talk to him as much anymore. He was told to spend time upstairs often, sitting in the attic. It was dusty up there, and he sneezed a lot. He didn't like it.

Still, he put up with it. Whenever it was dinnertime and Mama called him down, her face _glowed _and that was all that mattered to him.

His father was not the man he was expecting him to be, though. The man barely recognized he existed- the only reason Mercury even knew most days that his father was still around was because, methodically, like clockwork, the clinking of another glass hitting the countertop would ring out through the house, an ominous echo in their once-tranquil home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment if you're reading along!


	5. Unbreakable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all keeping well in the quarantine!

**5\. Unbreakable**

Mercury tiptoed his way to the kitchen to grab a snack. Mama had made his favourite fluffy bread- she wouldn't get angry if he grabbed just a little piece, right?

Stepping onto his stool beside the kitchen counter, he leaned up as far as he could to stare outside of the window.

There was a man outside with his father. "She's making me do this, I swear, I don't want to," the visitor begged, eyes wide with fear. Mercury watched in confused silence as his father picked the man up by his collar, carried him into the shed down the hill, and closed the door behind them. There was a bang.

His father exited alone, red shining in his white hair. Mercury wasn't hungry anymore.


	6. Obsession

**6\. Obsession**

His father came and went over the years, always working. Mercury didn’t mind- he almost preferred when the man was gone. His mother never confined him to the attic when it was just the two of them.

“Maybe I can help Dad one day,” he said one evening as they watched the sunset filter in through the fog surrounding the hill. “If I do, he’ll come home faster, right?”

He didn’t like when his father was home, but he liked Mama’s smile even more. He’d do anything to keep that smile on her face.

However… those words were the trigger to the end. Her smile cracked, eyes manic. “You’re happy, right, Mercury?” she breathed.

“Of course!”

“Then you _won’t _join your father.” Her smile, plastic and unnatural, didn’t waver as she began to cry.


	7. Eternity

**7\. Eternity**

Time seemed to slow down, each breath taking a millennia as air dripped into his lungs, his limbs barely inching forward in the dense, immovable air- but he didn’t care. Mama was on the ground, they were at the bottom of the hill, and he needed to get her back home. _Why did she fall?!_

And so, he wrapped skinny, frail arms around her tried to lift- and tried again- and tried a third time-

But he was just a young boy.

_Dad… where are you?_

But his father wasn’t home, and Mama wasn’t breathing, and the world was motionless-

He blinked. They were at the top of the hill, and his entire body was _white _and _glowing... _and his legs _burned._


	8. Gateway

**8\. Gateway**

“Dad- Dad, help, Mama’s-“

And he stopped cold.

The sheer, blinding fury in his father’s eyes as the man turned to look at him from his table in the living room was unfathomable. Fear doused him in cold shivers, leaving him trembling under the intensity of the man’s stare. Mercury’s eyes dropped down to the man’s hands, long fingers holding up a bloody cloth cleaning a long, razor-sharp blade.

The breath left his lungs for a moment. _I thought… Dad… just came back from work…_

Finally, he croaked, “Mama’s not breathing.”

The man pushed past without harming him, tending to his mother instead. Mercury was spared.


	9. Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. Sorry for the depressing turns. Y'all anticipated it though, so... oh well.

**9\. Death**

The house was cold without her. The shovel in his hands was colder.

“Keep digging, brat,” his father grunted, watching him with careful eyes.

Mercury whimpered and gasped and sobbed, but he kept lifting dirt out of the sizable hole without complaint. Why he had to do this, he didn’t know.

His father cleared up his confusion after three days of bone-numbing digging. He carried a body- Mama’s body- over to the hole. He hopped in, laid her down on the dirt, and murmured words too quiet for Mercury to hear.

Mercury tried to hop in, too. His father hadn’t let him see her ever since the day she collapsed.

His father pushed him away, climbing back out and handing him the shovel again. Mercury realized far too late what it all was for- but Marcus Black wouldn’t feed him until Mercury finished burying his mother, so what choice did he have?


	10. Opportunities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10% through.

**10\. Opportunities**

“…Where are you going?” he whispered, peeking around the corner.

His father slipped knives into his sleeves and tugged the hood of his cloak over his head. “Work,” the man replied, deadpan.

“…Are you coming back?”

His father didn’t respond.

“…Can I help?”

That question froze the older man mid-motion, his scarf halfway pulled up over his mouth and nose. Clear, blank eyes turned to look at Mercury impassively. “…Stay alive. When I get back…”

Mercury’s eyes lit up. “Yeah?”

“…You better know how to activate your Semblance on will.”

Mercury didn’t know what those words meant, but he swore he’d learn, because Mama loved Dad, and if Mama wasn’t there to take care of him anymore, it would be Mercury’s job. He’d make her proud.


	11. 33%

**11\. 33%**

Upon reflection, it only made sense that his Semblance was whatever had helped him bring Mama back to the top of the hill- whatever had _burned._ But his legs wouldn’t glow again, no matter how hard he tried.

When his father came back after a fortnight, his blades stained and eyes just as dead as before, Mercury greeted him on the porch, just how Mama used to. “Welcome home,” he murmured, hoping for a pat on the head.

The man walked right past him into the kitchen, grabbed a glass of liquor, and drank it down. Then, he looked at Mercury, a twisted grin on his face. “I doubt you have even a fraction of my power,” the man rumbled. “Show me your Semblance.”

“I… don’t know how-“

He couldn’t even finish his sentence before the glass left his father’s hands, and next thing he knew, it was dark.


	12. Dead Wrong

**12\. Dead Wrong**

_Mama was wrong about him. _

Mercury had always imagined his father to be a wonderful man- someone kind and sweet and loving, or maybe someone who was quiet but gallant. Mama had always talked about him as if he was protecting them from some terrible evil.

But Dad wasn’t protecting him. How was this protection?

Mercury began to hide more and more in the attic of his own volition, because whenever his father came home, he brought with him more food, and more liquor, and more pain.

Bruised and battered, his spirit wanted to break.


	13. Running Away

**13\. Running Away**

_I’ll run away._

It seemed so easy in the bedtime stories and fairy tales Mama used to tell him when he was young. All he needed to do was pack a coat, and some food, and a small weapon, and he’d be safe. Right?

So, he waited for his father to leave, then headed out on the road with his meager supplies. Anything was better than suffering at his father’s hands anymore.

There was one little problem, though.

The children in stories were never hunted down by their guardians. When Mercury saw his father’s face watching him from the shadows, days from his home, however, he knew he’d never be free.


	14. Judgement

**14\. Judgment**

“Won’t you get sick if you drink that much?”

It had been nothing more than an innocent question, but after that first time, he never asked it again. Instead, he simply avoided the man as much as possible after his injuries had healed.

His father didn’t like that.

So, at the ripe age of nine, he began learning something his mother had never taught him- how to fight back. He learned what objects in the house he could throw to buy himself time. He learned where to punch and kick and dig his nails into- not to injure, but to surprise. He was too little to do much else.

_Not forever, though. _That much was clear. He couldn’t run and hide forever- there was no point. His father would always find him.


	15. Seeking Solace

**15\. Seeking Solace**

His father was an assassin.

“Pack your things up, boy,” his father slurred. “We’re heading out at dawn.”

Mercury glared back at him through swollen, purple eyelids, but he didn’t argue.

The next morning, they set forth. Each step was laboured and pained, his father running swiftly without any hesitation. When they finally reached their destination, the man told him to knock on the door of a tiny cottage. He did. And when the door opened, a beautiful young woman stepping out in concern over Mercury’s injuries, his father’s blade pierced her neck without a moment’s hesitation.

In her eyes, Mercury saw his Mama. And then, the light faded.

No matter how much he scrubbed, it felt like her splattered blood would linger on his skin forever.


	16. Excuses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again. Here's to hoping I can make a big dent on this over the next while. I'd like to finish up all my ongoing projects soon, after all.

**16\. Excuses**

So this was life.

Every waking moment, he was training. When he was running up and down the hill or punching the sandbag his father had procured one day, his father never bothered him. Instead, the man would watch- taking a seat on the porch, glass of whisky in one hand, watching Mercury’s sweat drip down his face as if Mercury were nothing more than an ant.

Mercury didn’t want training to be all he had in life. Yet, even in his sleep, his dreams no longer contained memories of his Mama. No longer could he see her face when he closed his eyes.

This was the life she had wanted him to protect. So, he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment if you're reading along!


	17. Vengeance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 2 today.

**17\. Vengeance**

And then, the day finally arrived.

His kick finally landed square on his father’s chest, the man flying back with such force he hit the porch railing. A cry of pain left his father’s lips, the sound chilling Mercury to the core- invigorating him, sparking something carnal in the pit of his stomach.

_This is too much. What is this?_

But Mercury was sick of fighting. He just wanted it all to stop. So, the desire washed over him, and finally, he let it.

As his father climbed back to his feet, lips twisted in a feral snarl, Mercury felt his legs burning for the first time since the day his Mama collapsed.

And with his father’s eyes locked on him, Mercury took flight.


	18. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 3 today.

**18\. Love**

He didn’t know how it was happening, but one word kept floating around in his mind: _Semblance. _This was what his father had demanded to see. Perhaps flight was too strong a word this- this freedom, floating in midair. He could set his foot down on nothing but air, but feel floor. He could kick off, flying higher, but his descent never began until he wanted it to.

And from high above, Mercury saw the horizon past the rolling fog he had grown to call home. He saw the sunlight, the water glittering, the lush trees and never-ending sky. His heart sang, vision blurring with tears as he finally saw the _world._

_I could leave if I wanted to._

He could _live._

Then, he felt empty, drained- falling back to Remnant, his escape but a dream.

  
  



	19. Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 4 today.

**19\. Tears**

A corner of his mind wondered if this silence was what death was like. This emptiness that filled the void in his heart seemed to echo. He didn't know what originally had been there. The most painful thing in his body was the _nothingness, _despite the fact that he couldn't move, every bone shattered, every inch of his form in ruin.

He opened his eyes. _I'm not dead._

But as he saw his father's twisted smile, the words leaving his lips so blank, so unfeeling, so calculating, Mercury wondered whether it would've been better if he _had _died.

"I took your Semblance. You'll have to earn it, boy."


	20. My Inspiration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 5.

**20\. My** ** Inspiration**

“Semblances are a part of you. They make you stronger, an extension of yourself.” The man stalked around Mercury’s chair, his movements slow, precise.

Mercury glanced down at his legs, the splint and cast garish and makeshift, his skin mottled and swollen beyond belief underneath. As his father spoke, the emptiness in his heart slowly became more and more apparent. That void hurt more than his legs.

“I took it away. That’s _my _Semblance, boy- I steal others’ powers when they haven’t earned their place.”

Suddenly, the knife Mercury had seen stained in blood time and time again appeared just a hairsbreadth from his nose. “And you _don’t _deserve it. Time to learn how to fight without it, boy. Nothing of my blood will be _weak._”

And so, Mercury’s fleeting happiness was taken away just like that.


	21. Never Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 6.

**21\. Never Again**

His legs never healed, calves bowed. His Aura was too weak to fix it. He hobbled slightly when he ran, losing balance easily.

He had to learn to fight all over again. Those lessons were painful, carved into his body with blood.

He wanted to give up. What was even the point? After years of abuse, what point was there in trying anymore? Nothing could ever taste as sweet as the fleeting touch of the _universe _at his fingertips-

Perhaps that was when Mercury stopped caring about it all. He couldn't escape, his one dream stripped away just like that.

So, with leaden feet, when Marcus told him to murder a target, Mercury listened. The blood spatter felt like nothing on his face.


	22. Online

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 7, I believe.

**22\. Online**

The killing continued. Mercury was relentless. What he lacked in strength he made up for in speed. What he lacked in Aura, he made up for in spite.

What he lacked in Semblance, he made up for in bloodlust.

But his real target continued to defeat him time and time again. When Mercury finally managed to defeat his father, completely depleting his Aura until there was nothing left, Mercury didn’t even register it.

“You’re strong enough,” Marcus murmured, standing up. He checked his Scroll. “Fourteen-years-old- strong enough.”

Mercury froze. _Strong… enough? It was enough? _“Can… I have my Semblance again?”

“I never thought you’d truly grow strong.”

“Can I have it back?”

“I didn’t think you’d become like this.”

He paused. “Like… what?”

And his father bared his teeth, more fang-like than anything, and attacked.


	23. Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 8.

**23\. Failure**

The voices woke him up before the pain did. Perhaps that was a small mercy, granted to him by his Aura.

Either way, he was awake now. His Aura flickered and sputtered on his chest, silvery-white light dying away.

And now, he wanted to _die._

“The boy’s a liability,” his father spat into his Scroll. “He’s too strong.” A pause. “I don’t care-“ A pause. Enough anger to wake the dead. “Don’t you _dare _talk about her-“ A pause, heaving breaths. “Fine.”

And then, Mercury saw the man’s face, wild eyes pitch-black in the lightless room, not a trace of hope to be found. “Your mistake was becoming strong, boy,” he whispered. And then, the sledgehammer hit his thighs.

He screamed. Why? Why was this happening? “Dad, please-“

They hit again.

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t see. His Aura was gone. None of this would be healed. He was broken. “Mama, please-“


	24. Rebirth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 9.

**24\. Rebirth**

Mercury was immobile, time melding into one as delirious fever gripped him constantly. He was too-warm-too-hot-too-much and nothing all at once.

He couldn't feel his feet. The bandages tied clumsily around his thighs barely covered exposed bone.

One day, the fever seemed to break. The world was clear. His Aura began to recover. He couldn't feel his legs, and every movement felt like pins and needles, nauseating as his limbs refused to cooperate; still, in his sickened, twisted clarity, there was only one thing left to do.

His father was sleeping in the next room, an empty bottle long-having fallen from his hands. Mercury could walk- barely. He picked up the bottle. It was weighty in his hands.

He smashed it down onto his father's head and turned to look for gasoline.


	25. Breaking Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 10. That's enough for today. Leave a comment if you're reading along!

**25\. Breaking Away**

_He's never giving me back my Semblance._

The rolling fog had disappeared with the blazing inferno's presence, a pyre lighting up the night sky in all its twisted glory. It was almost beautiful, flames dancing in Mercury's lightless eyes.

Marcus stumbled out of the flames, clearly disoriented after the blow to the head. "Boy?" he called, eyes barely opened in his stupor.

Despite barely-functioning legs, bile rising in his throat each tottering step, the bloodied bandages and the fading vision and the sinking understanding that _I will never heal from this _echoing in his mind, Mercury was able to do what needed to be done.

Just as he was taught, he reached out from the shadows, grabbing Marcus' hair and dragging him to the ground. With one of Marcus' daggers, Mercury drew a thin line across Marcus' throat.

The blood splatter felt like nothing, as always. But still, as it dried on his skin… he felt freer.


	26. Forever and a Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are- at the beginning of his canon appearances as shown in Volume 3. Guess who is still avoiding university projects due today (: RIP pray for me y’all

**26\. Forever and a Day**

Time slowed down as he limped away from his father’s carcass. Every movement felt sluggish, body barely able to stand. A part of him knew he ran on sheer adrenaline and willpower; the moment he sat down for his legs to rest, he would never be able to use them again.

His father was dead. He’d never fly again. The taste of the sky, of _freedom, _was lost.

Two women- young and clean and strong, not like the weary, bedraggled mess of his bloodstained, bandaged, broken self- stepped out of the forest. They wanted Marcus Black’s services. “What’s your name?” asked the elder, eyes reflecting the fire blazing atop the hill.

“Mercury.”

Her mouth curled around his name, giving it shape- form. It had been so long since he’d heard it from another.

They’d take him away from this house. It was just his responsibility to survive after that.


	27. Lost and Found

**27\. Lost and Found**

****The younger was named Emerald, her eyes carrying a spark that he found within his own heart. She explained quietly, helping hold Mercury up when his legs finally gave way, that she knew what it was like to be broken. Her life on the streets had been ended recently by Cinder.

Cinder Fall was the elder, all pitch-black hair and glittering golden eyes. Her voice was coy, knowing, calculating. She asked what Mercury wanted. He said he wanted his legs back.

Somehow, she promised them to him as long as he followed her. There was a beauty to her form; commanding; alluring; so unknown to him.

Still, the hunger that burned in Emerald’s eyes when she looked at Cinder intrigued him. He didn’t know what it felt like to have _that _kind of desire for another. So, he agreed.

New legs sounded impossible. But for some reason… he believed her.


	28. Light

**28\. Light**

****For the first time in years, he slept in a warm bed. His fever was taken care of, with someone wiping his forehead and administering medicine. _Mama? _he wanted to cry out. He wanted to beg and scream for her to hold him, for her to come back- for her to wake up in his arms again, that day when his Semblance had awoken and he had leapt with her up the hill.

He woke up cradled in Cinder’s arms, ivory skin glowing in the lantern light of their inn. “Oh, is little Mercury feeling better?” she cooed, picking up the cold compress Emerald handed her.

Silhouetted in the light, Mercury felt something stir in his gut as he looked at the two. Cinder was achingly, hollowly beautiful in her confidence; Emerald, ugly in her jealousy. And as he realized that, for the first time since childhood, Mercury laughed.


	29. Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 4 today. Let me know what you think if you're reading along!

**29\. Dark**

When he was ready to move again, Cinder finally revealed her true colours. She tossed him a knife, tossed one to Emerald, and told them to fight.

Mercury’s instincts, honed by years of violence, immediately reacted. His body, however, didn’t. He still could barely feel his feet.

When he was lying on the ground, his Aura slow to stitch up his split skin, Cinder pulled out her Scroll. After a few moments of hushed conversation, she finally kneeled down beside him, brushing sweat-streaked hair out of his eyes. “Oh, Mercury,” she murmured, serpentine and sensual, “aren’t you excited? My master believes in your potential. She’s sending people to pick us up. We’re going to get your legs fixed.”

_Master? What does that even mean? _“Why?”

She grinned, teeth more like fangs in the moonlight. “We believe you’ll be a good investment."

In her eyes, Mercury saw his father. His fate was sealed.


	30. Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 5.

**30\. Faith**

He never got to meet Cinder’s master. Instead, he was brought to a small facility, fully equipped with operating gear the likes of which he had never seen.

“This boy is _filthy,_” a mustached man cried in revolt, looking down his nose at Mercury in disgust.

Mercury bared his teeth from the examination table upon which he lay. The man didn’t react, instead clicking his tongue in annoyance as he brought scanners to Mercury’s legs. “Close your eyes, boy. I’m not fixing your sight, too,” he instructed coldly, flipping on a pair of tinted goggles.

Right before the scanners began blasting light into the room, he heard Cinder call, “I leave him to you, Watts. Make him walk again.”

“Oh, he’ll do more than _walk, _child,” Watts spat.

Perhaps it had been right to trust Cinder after all.


	31. Colours

**31\. Colours**

****The pain was immense. Still, Mercury didn’t object, didn’t fight. He knew that every single stab of agony lancing through his spine would put him in a better position than he was in before.

It didn’t make the moment he woke up from a drug-addled stupor without his legs any easier.

He screamed when he saw it, when he realized what they had done. He hadn’t been truly able to feel anything since his father had shattered his legs, but now, there was… nothing. Below his thighs, just… nothing.

He vomited; grit his teeth; flung curses at the man named Arthur Watts until all colour drained away from his vision and he was in the void once more.


	32. Exploration

**32\. Exploration**

Finally, Mercury was allowed to open his eyes. His body felt weak, frail- but as Watts helped him swing his legs over the side of the bed, Mercury’s hands fell onto his lap. Where there had once been nothing but splintered bone, replaced with nothing at all, there was now smooth metal. His fingers shook, scarred fingers running along divots and screws. The neon glow of Dust pulsing through what seemed to be almost an electrical current pulsed faintly, casting blue light onto his gaunt skin.

“How do you fight, brat?” Watts muttered testily.

“Hand-to-hand,” Mercury croaked, throat dusty and dry.

Watts’ grin curled up evilly. “Good. Time to show you how your new legs work.”

And Mercury took his first step in his new life.


	33. Seeing Red

**33\. Seeing Red**

“You… don’t have a Semblance?”

Mercury didn’t know what hit him- first, he was on his knees after having done a set of push-ups.

Then, he was on the floor, a searing heat flooding his whole body, burning him from the inside out. He let out a strangled scream, writhing underneath the touch of melted obsidian on his bared, frail chest.

Finally, Cinder pulled the fiery blade away, allowing Aura to heal him. Then, she kneeled beside him, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“In that case, you’ll have to work hard, won’t you?” she whispered, lips tracing his ear.

All he could do was curse her- her sadism, and the lust her touch stirred within him anyways.


	34. Shades of Grey

**34\. Shades of Grey**

Once he could walk more steadily, they outfitted him with new clothes; silver and grey and black. It matched him.

The blue of the sky was too far away from him.

They gave him weapons- boots for his prosthetics that could fire projectiles, perfectly tuned to his Aura and fighting style. He was ready for combat.

"You serve me now, Mercury," Cinder crooned, brushing his hair out of his face. "I'll make sure you never go hungry, never go wanting, as long as you listen to me."

Watts sneered and walked away. "The others won't help you and your children, girl," he spat.

She ignored him, outlining her rules. They all boiled down to one key message: obey Cinder.

Mercury nodded. He was a raised killer. He could hunt targets easily enough. It was all he knew how to do.


	35. Forgotten

**35\. Forgotten**

Emerald was his constant companion from the moment he was battle-ready. She was skeptical of his abilities, watching him with malice burning in her eyes when Cinder first asked them to hunt.

When he proved his skills, however, that malice faded into quiet camaraderie.

Her Semblance was manipulations of illusions. She used it to dupe their targets, lulling them into a false sense of security. Mercury asked idly as they stalked one particularly annoying target, "Can you make them last for a long period of time?"

"No," she replied evenly, keeping her gaze on the target. "My illusions disappear if I lose concentration. Why?"

The voice of his Mama rang in his ear. "Nothing."


	36. Dreamer

**36\. Dreamer**

Mercury often dreamed. He would never admit it to Emerald, but those dreams often left him near-tears, the images of his Mama coming to mind in a house that was once so peaceful, so tranquil, that he would give almost anything to go back home to it.

Life would’ve stayed perfect if his father had never come back.

During the day, there was no time to dream; only to fight, to train, to kill Grimm. When he did doze off, daydreaming between bouts, there was no innocence to be found in his fascination for Cinder.

He wanted her. Quickly he realized that Emerald did, too.


	37. Mist

**37\. Mist**

The tendrils from the strange, orb-like Grimm crept along the floor. Every inch they moved closer to Mercury made him want to turn tail and flee. He did not know what the Grimm would do if he was found, but he saw the serrated claws at the edge of each one, so he walked away from Cinder as she began to speak to the demon.

She figured out that he had seen her. “I was merely reporting to my master,” she explained. “One day, you will meet her.”

Mercury frowned. He had known nothing about a master that could speak through the Grimm. That… nothing about that was natural.

But when she whispered that they would win this war under her guidance, all he could do was shrug and nod, because he had given up his right to choose long ago.


	38. Burning

**38\. Burning**

The task from Cinder’s master was to hunt down names from a list of Faunus. Mercury shrugged and nodded. He did not care why they were on the hunt; all that mattered is that he was fed, clothed, housed, and given access to whatever he needed to tune up his legs.

“We just need to do what Cinder says,” Emerald repeated resolutely from her bunk.

Their hiding spot in a solitary shack in the woods just upon the outskirts of Mistral was damp, drafty. Yet, the wooden beams crisscrossing the ceiling made Mercury almost nostalgic.

“Is there a point to all of this?” he asked absently.

“There has to be.”

For once, he wished that he had her conviction.


	39. Out of Time

**39\. Out of Time**

“I have plans for us,” Cinder crooned, looking over her desk laden with paperwork and faked identification cards. “We’ll be entering Haven Academy come fall.”

“Haven?” He snorted, glancing up from his seat on the floor where he was modifying his prosthetics. “What, are we becoming _Huntsmen _now?”

“No. But we _are _becoming students. But first, I have plans for us.”

Nothing about this made sense, nor did it bode well. _It’s far too late to back out now. _But looking at Cinder and the promises her dark, smoldering eyes made, he didn’t know if he would want to, anyways.


	40. Knowing How

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 40% throughhhh

**40\. Knowing How**

“How do you just listen to whatever Cinder says?”

Emerald’s glare was icy, cutting. “I will do anything for her.” She sighed, shaking her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Mercury watched her eyes, the young woman immediately turning back to the books Cinder had given them. Students needed to study, after all, and if they were going to infiltrate Haven they needed to be passable, at least. Mercury didn’t care to study; he knew he was quick-witted enough to stay afloat on his own.

Emerald was, too. She didn’t need to do this. Yet, she always did it anyways.

It almost scared him, just how far Emerald would go for Cinder. It was not lust which drove her, but something deeper. Mercury didn’t want to know.


	41. Fork in the Road

**41\. Fork in the Road**

The day they received their false IDs, there was no going back. Not because he was going to Haven, no- for the truth imparted upon him soon after.

The four Maidens from the _Story of the Seasons _were real. Mercury remembered that tale. His mother had told it to him as a child.

His heart ached. It felt like lifetimes ago. _Mama-_

He squashed down those feelings. They were of little use to him now.

And yet, as Cinder walked away, Emerald trotting obediently after her, all Mercury could do was stare out the window, imagining a porch outside their hideout; a porch resting atop a foggy hill, and a hand which wouldn’t want to touch his, so covered in blood.


	42. Start

**42\. Start**

Cinder’s plans were complex and twisted; a true reflection of her mind.

Ally with the White Fang. Steal Dust in order to blow up the city of Vale and attract Grimm during the Vytal Festival. Take over Beacon.

It all seemed so simple as Cinder spoke, her eyes alighting with such wicked joy that Mercury could only marvel at her confidence, her strength. Her poise and elegance would never fail to fascinate him.

Did he care about her plan? No. And yet, was he excited to see what chaos her actions would bring?

Yes.

She was going to change the world; for better or worse, Mercury didn’t care. He was going to be on the frontlines, watching it all.


	43. Nature's Fury

**43\. Nature's Fury**

He doubted the Maidens in his heart. How could he so blindly accept something that he had never witnessed, never experienced?

His knowledge consisted of what his life had been: survival, dominance, disability. He had a handicap, after all.

But even Mercury, with the strength that had killed hundreds of Faunus- that had killed his own father- was able to help bring down Amber, the Fall Maiden. When they ambushed her, her _magic _(or that was _not _a Semblance- that was the power of a _monster_) was almost enough to hurt him.

He survived; he believed in magic; he had chosen the right side. Cinder stole Amber’s powers. She was the most disgusting, beautiful monster he had ever seen.


	44. At Peace

**44\. At Peace**

********At first, Cinder couldn’t sleep at night. Her powers burned her from the inside out, the fire and lightning and decay in her bones begging to go back to its owner, for Cinder had not been able to steal all of Amber’s power. Amber lived. Cinder was not complete, and she suffered for it.

Emerald cried often, hearing Cinder scream. “I just- I want to help!” she wept into her hands. “If I could away take that pain-“

Mercury watched her tears fall, deadpan. Emerald’s feelings were nothing to Cinder. It was pathetic to see her unable to realize it.


	45. Heart Song

**45\. Heart Song**

“Don’t worry about not showing up in Haven,” Cinder cooed when Emerald asked about their status as students of Haven Academy. “Leonardo Lionheart is a cowardly creature. He will keep our places warm for us.” All they had to do was go to Vale and begin talks with the White Fang. Mercury was both excited and terrified to begin.

After all, he had a literal force of nature at his side; but in contrast, his own lack of a Semblance rang out even clearer.

Then again, why did it matter? He was just a tool to Cinder. He hadn’t felt anything real for years.

_Except on the battlefield. _His legs served him well enough, even if they weren’t _his _anymore. Killing brought him almost as much joy as flight had.

Almost.


	46. Reflection

**46\. Reflection**

He had never viewed himself as an object of desire until Cinder offered him a place in her bed out of boredom. “Play with me, Mercury,” she purred, eyes blazing with her magic. “Don’t you want to?”

Heat pooled within his gut. Would her skin feel just as fiery as he had always imagined? “…Yes.”

Her grin widened, twisted. “Beg for it, and I’ll let you join me.”

He knew her games. A part of him wished he didn’t. “No.”

So she walked away, and he walked back into the quarters he shared with Emerald, praying that the other girl hadn’t heard. Three years of following Cinder had made him cunning and handsome and nearly undefeatable, but he still didn’t know how to stop Emerald’s tears.


	47. Perfection

**47\. Perfection**

Finally, they were ready to go to Vale. Watts gave him a crash-course in performing heavier maintenance on his legs. Emerald perfected her illusory Semblance even further, for Cinder’s sake.

And Cinder learned to become the perfect monster, her powers within her grasp and her orders from her master clear. _Bring down Beacon Academy. Kill Ozpin. Retrieve the Maidens’ powers._

Mercury took a long look at himself in the mirror. He was young, his cocky grin lascivious and handsome, dark eyes smoldering when he deigned to narrow them. He could see why Cinder made that offer.

He detested it all the same. In shadows, his face aged, his hair darkened. He could have been named Marcus.

When they departed, his bathroom mirror lay shattered on the ground; but his demons were dead.


	48. Everyday Magic

**48\. Everyday Magic**

****First stop: the White Fang encampment led by Adam Taurus. The bull Faunus was nothing special, his petty threats and pathetic mask nothing but desperate pleas for clout and fearmongering. Cinder spoke to the man, offering him support and their gift of Dust in exchange for White Fang support.

Adam rejected them.

_You should’ve listened, _Mercury wanted to cackle. _Do you know how many Faunus we’ve slaughtered?_

The next time, they destroyed his men, burned down his base. Adam listened then, the young man agreeing to shift from radical to terrorist without even realizing it. “It’s for the Faunus,” Adam announced to the survivors.

Cinder conjured her Maiden’s flame. Seeing her true magic, the Faunus were happy to lie to themselves. Mercury idly wondered if they knew how few of them would survive the attack on Beacon.


	49. Umbrella

**49\. Umbrella**

Mercury decided instantly that he didn’t like Roman Torchwick. Why they were resorting to enlisting the help of petty mobsters, he didn’t know- but Cinder insisted these clowns were necessary. “Unless _you two_ want to be stealing all the Dust we need?” Cinder asked demurely, raising a brow.

He was happy hunting people, thanks. So, Roman could stay.

Mercury thought he wouldn’t mind Roman’s little helper, Neo. The woman was cute, if tiny. When he winked at her to test the waters, however, his mild attraction soured into hate.

She unfurled her parasol, froze, and shattered, disappearing without a trace. With her Semblance on full display, Mercury longed to put a boot in her face. He didn’t.


	50. Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway through! Last update of the day, though. (update 10)

**50\. Party**

Things unfurled so rapidly after arriving in Vale that he could scarcely keep track. Watts managed to steal them Atlesian technology, giving it all to Adam’s splinter cell of the White Fang and Cinder. They made their base in the ruins underneath Mountain Glenn, a failed experiment to live outside of the main kingdoms- the ruined city and subterranean railroad would bring Roman’s Dust explosives to Vale when the day of reckoning finally came.

After every victory, Cinder would invite him to her bed. He refused to submit. No one with that much power would force him to kneel ever again.

If Emerald found out, though…

He wondered whether Cinder did it just to hurt Emerald- Cinder always loved seeing people break.


	51. Troubling Thoughts

**51\. Troubling Thoughts**

As Mercury and Emerald followed Cinder’s orders, collaborating with Roman and Neo and Adam Taurus whenever needed, Mercury couldn’t help but wonder why they even bothered. The world was already in a state of slowly-mounting unrest; if Cinder’s mysterious master was as powerful as she claimed, having knowledge and strength that overpowered Cinder’s as a half-Maiden, then why did they need grunts like him for?

He voiced these thoughts as he cleaned blood off of his boots while Emerald wiped away their fingerprint. Cinder was doing this for power, they knew. Emerald said, “I’m doing this for Cinder.”

The sky was clear blue as they moved onto their next target.


	52. Stirring of the Wind

**52\. Stirring of the Wind**

The school year at Beacon began. Oftentimes, Mercury found Emerald’s eyes longingly looking up at the school upon the cliffs; there was no malice there, only bitterness.

“What,” he laughed, “do you wanna go be a good little school girl?”

She spluttered, “No, of course not!”

He knew a part of her was lying. Emerald had always longed for normalcy far more than he ever had; he couldn’t want what he never had, after all. Emerald’s history of abuse and impoverished living belied the loss of an ordinary life. That was why she clung so desperately to Cinder.

Mercury was almost jealous. Ever since the day he lost his Semblance, he didn’t know what it was like to cling.


	53. Future

**53\. Future**

Their school uniforms for Haven fit them far too well. Mercury ensured that his trousers were slightly long, preventing any prying eyes from spotting his prosthetics. They needed to keep them secret for now.

He watched Cinder shorten her uniform skirt, golden eyes mocking his barely-hidden interest.

Then, huge shipments of their stolen Dust was taken in a confrontation with Beacon students and the police against the White Fang and Roman. Cinder blamed Roman. Roman blamed Emerald and Mercury.

Mercury idly wondered what it would be like to just kill them all. He had already gotten his legs back; there was nothing keeping him there.

Yet, he stayed. He was curious about life at Beacon. Perhaps he just wanted to see what Emerald secretly longed for.


	54. Health and Healing

**54\. Health and Healing**

****It was too tranquil in that school.

The students, teachers, flower gardens and bright hallways and large lecture halls- it was all too soft, too gentle. He hated every bit of it.

He _did_ enjoy watching little Ruby Rose and her friends; the brats had grown oddly fond of Emerald. It was hilarious watching Emerald try and play the part of the sweet, shy international student in return.

It was equally amusing to send Roman pictures of Ruby, for she had somehow been the one responsible for the Dust raid at the docks. He relished in Roman’s fuming responses.

_Maybe I should kill Ruby in front of Roman, _Mercury pondered. _That would make him upset._

That fantasy carried him through many a lunch hour with Ruby.


	55. Separation

**55\. Separation**

****Emerald’s job was to make friends. Mercury’s job was to find out potential threats- potential pawns. He knew he would play his part perfectly; he and Emerald had long-since perfected their routine of her mature elder sister-type to his loveable idiot. That little routine always allowed them to lower the guards of almost all of their victims.

And yet, the moment he realized that he wasn’t in all of the same classes as Emerald, Mercury couldn’t help but freeze in terror. He would never admit it, but seeing her disappear into a different classroom struck a surprising amount of fear within his chest. He didn’t want to be left behind.


	56. Everything For You

**56\. Everything For You**

****The moment he opened his eyes, he knew his life had changed for the worse.

His dreams of Mama had recurred less as he had grown older, but with the sudden shift in environments, Mercury had found himself remember her soft voice and loving smile more and more.

He hated the dreams, always ending with his Semblance’s activation. It was a slap in the face- doubly so when combined with her corpse in his arms.

But when he awoke one morning and saw Cinder hovering over him, whispering, “Do you miss your mother, Mercury?” in the most saccharine voice possible, Mercury wanted to gag.

He had hidden his traumas for so long. Now, she knew. And he no longer felt strong underneath those burning eyes.


	57. Slow Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done writing the entire fic. So close!

**57\. Slow Down**

****Whether it was her pent-up desires or entitlement to use him, he didn’t know. All that mattered was that she whispered words of equal want and hatred into his ear whenever they were alone, her tone reminding him too much of his mother’s manic descent. Whenever Cinder spoke, he froze, unable to react. Half the time, he didn’t know whether he was imagining it all, since Cinder only acted that way when they were alone.

He stopped spending time alone with her. It was safer that way. He had his mission to focus on.

One day, Emerald caught them. Mercury felt a heart he didn’t even know he had shatter in his chest.


	58. Heartfelt Apology

**58\. Heartfelt Apology**

He found her curled up in a corner of Beacon’s many gardens, her shoulders wracked with sobs. Who was this weeping creature? She looked so small, it was pitiful.

“It’s not my fault,” he said quietly.

She trembled, cries muffled by her arms. She didn’t even look at him.

“She’s been trying to mess with me for a long time.”

She sobbed louder.

“…I’m sorry, Em.”

The words were foreign and clumsy leaving his mouth. Never had he ever apologized for something like this; never had he ever felt like he had done something _wrong. _

The next morning, Emerald was fine. No trace of her tears remained. He said nothing, either. Whether it was to protect their partnership, or to protect Emerald from acknowledging that she would never have Cinder, Mercury didn’t know.


	59. Challenged

**59\. Challenged**

Pyrrha Nikos intrigued Cinder. “’The Invincible Girl’, huh?” she breathed, looking over the redhead’s profile. It was fair; Pyrrha Nikos was arguably the strongest first-year at Beacon, her grace and skill peerless and renowned throughout Remnant.

Mercury played his part: collecting information. In combat class, he raised his hand, offering to fight her. Pyrrha was excited and sweet and polite in return, a certain sense of hope filling her eyes as she looked at him.

Mercury didn’t want to understand why she was so happy for his challenge, nor why she was so upset when he forfeited the match barely a minute in. She was disappointed in him.

Despite his smile, it kind of stung.


	60. Exhaustion

**60\. Exhaustion**

He had gathered all the data needed within that short match. That evening, he explained it to Cinder and Emerald, methodically going over all of the information he had collected.

Pyrrha Nikos was just as strong as the rumours said, but she was _not _invincible. The moment one of his kicks was about to connect, he had felt her Aura latch onto the metal of his boot, moving it almost magnetically. “Her Semblance has to be magnetism or something,” he concluded. The redhead was smart, only using her powers _just_ enough to make it seem like Mercury had missed.

Cinder’s scheming gave him a headache. He almost felt bad for what lay ahead for Pyrrha- almost.


	61. Accuracy

**61\. Accuracy**

Cinder’s eyes followed Pyrrha Nikos like a moth drawn to flame, the redhead’s smile and quiet, demure light enough to fascinate the elder woman. Mercury did not understand the fascination. Pyrrha was just a girl, clearly too sheltered and too privileged to understand the harsh realities of their world. She had gained her strength thanks to training under tutelage.

Mercury was different. Mercury had grown strong in order to _survive_. If it came down to a physical fight, he knew he could destroy Pyrrha Nikos in a heartbeat. He hadn’t even used an ounce of his skill nor strength in their match, after all.

However, with her Semblance, she would always win. His legs could never touch what she could repel. It wasn’t fair.


	62. Irregular Orbit

**62\. Irregular Orbit**

****Emerald’s demeanor never changed, just as doting and loyal as ever to Cinder. Yet, something seemed to shift in her. It was slight, strange. Cinder didn’t notice, but Mercury did.

She threw herself into her work. She buttered up Ruby and all of her friends, playing her part perfectly. On the odd occasion when Cinder as them to help Roman with something in the dead of night, Emerald was always the first one at the door. If she wasn’t working, she was training her Semblance, her body, her mind.

It took Mercury far too long to realize Emerald was just trying her best to become irreplaceable to Cinder. He pitied her.


	63. Cold Embrace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I! am! uncomfortable!  
*TW for implied noncon.

**63\. Cold Embrace**

****Emerald was sent on a task with Neo, leaving Mercury alone with Cinder. He tried to join the mission, he really did; no matter how much he needled them, though, Cinder insisted that he remain in their shared room in Beacon.

And that night, with her half-Maiden’s eyes burning and her lustful smile, she whispered words of derision and abuse and sickening affection with the affectation that was too close to his Mama to disobey, and she finally took him to her bed.

When she was done with him, he tottered outside. Emerald was sitting in the hallway, head in her knees. He sat next to her, and for the first time since they met, he held her close to his chest.


	64. Frost

**64\. Frost**

Before the sun rose the next morning, Mercury left for a run around Beacon’s perimeter. The wind was crisp, blowing through his hair. He put all his might into pumping his legs forward, picking up speed and allowing himself to imagine, if just for a moment, that this was what his Semblance could feel like.

It was better than remembering Cinder’s touch. He felt empty.

To his surprise, Pyrrha Nikos was also out for a jog. She was beautiful, he realized- a bright splash of vibrant red in the early morn. She smiled clumsily in acknowledgement.

For a moment, Mercury allowed himself to wonder what it would be like to live in her shoes.


	65. A Moment in Time

**65\. A Moment in Time**

****Time at Beacon passed, and he never left Emerald’s side unless he absolutely had to. Emerald knew of what had occurred, he was sure. He was just thankful that she never changed.

Perhaps she would break by verbalizing what had happened.

The Beacon Dance, an event to celebrate the impending Vytal Festival Tournament, came. “You clean up good,” he said to Emerald. She smiled, but her eyes remained on Cinder as the woman approached them. Mercury watched Emerald’s hand open up, ready to dance with Cinder.

Cinder slid into Emerald’s place, grabbing hold of Mercury instead. Despite her beauty, Mercury felt nothing, simply asking about the mission. She replied with ease, a flirtatious lilt in her tone.

His smile was knowing, but his eyes were cold.


	66. Dangerous Territory

**66\. Dangerous Territory**

****Cinder had stolen all the info they needed using Watts’ program during the dance. While the other students readied themselves for their field missions, the trio looked over General Ironwood’s plans for Atlesian technology and authorization codes.

And, they found information on Ironwood’s pet project: Penny. A combat android.

Cinder had never looked happier.

That joy immediately drained away when raid sirens began screaming through Vale and Beacon. Emerald’s fears were immediately confirmed by a quick call to Roman; the trains underneath Mountain Glenn, set to destroy Vale and unleash Grimm during the tournament, had been started early. _Damage control time, I suppose._

He was getting tired of cleaning up other peoples’ messes.


	67. Boundaries

**67\. Boundaries**

Mountain Glenn was a failure. Ruby’s team managed to force Roman’s hand, unleashing Grimm into Vale days ahead of schedule. Their perfect plan was ruined in an instant.

The only solace Mercury had was that Roman was caught by Atlas. He and Emerald had the joy of parking his ass into a jail cell, being the good ‘students’ they were. Roman wouldn’t rot there, since Neo would save him come time, but Mercury could dream.

After the mess, however, Cinder propositioned him once again.

Mercury said no. He was done with it- with hating himself for his lust, with feeling nothing, with watching Emerald cry.

She didn’t even falter, instead cooing, “Wow, little Mercury is all grown up. I’m so proud.”

He didn’t regret joining her faction. It didn’t change the fact that he hated her more than ever.


	68. Unsettling Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finished this yesterday and was planning on putting it up slowly over the next week, but then I realized that it would be too much of a pain. Get ready to see the rest of this whole fic.

**68\. ** **Unsettling Revelations**

In the wake of the breach, the tournament began, tensions higher than ever. Mercury enjoyed watching students crumble under the strain of their matches, feigning smiles despite the looming shadow of the Atlesian Military following them all.

With stolen Atlesian authorization codes, Cinder figured out another way to implement their plan. Everything was on schedule. All Mercury had to do was help find the comatose Fall Maiden; and when they did, spotting Ozpin and Pyrrha Nikos going down Beacon Tower with other staff members, it finally sank in for Mercury.

They were going to destroy the world as they knew it. He couldn’t imagine the scope yet, but he was always good at letting things burn.


	69. Shattered

**69\. Shattered**

With Neo disguised as their fourth teammate, they ran through the tournament with ease. Emerald and Mercury later took down their doubles opponents in mere minutes, with Emerald using her Semblance and Mercury barely bringing his skills to the table.

Still, Emerald was beginning to grow fatigued. “You’ve gotta rest up,” he chided her lightly, setting up a repair station in their makeshift hideout in Amity Colosseum. “You’re going to need to use those illusions a _lot _pretty soon.”

She scowled but nodded. He wasn’t wrong. Cinder’s plans were twisted in the cruelest ways. The world was on the precipice of breaking forever.

His legs would, too; but that’s why he was prepared. His legs would be fixed. Nothing else would be.


	70. Bitter Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 70% through and a longer chapter for it. So close.

**70\. Bitter Silence**

****His fight in the finals went exactly as planned. The silence which rang over the entire colosseum when Emerald tricked Yang Xiao Long into breaking his prosthetic leg was _cathartic._

As he faked tears, sobbing, clinging to Emerald as she screamed at Ruby’s sister for “destroying Mercury’s leg, you _monster,” _as if Emerald’s illusions hadn’t _tricked _Yang into attacking Mercury, all the boy could do was bury his face in Emerald’s shoulder to bite back his smile.

Yang deserved this. Although his loss was intentional, it still boiled his blood. After all, he had been _winning. _And then, the _bitch _had activated her Semblance. It wasn’t fair. He was so sick of it all.

They carried him away on a stretcher, assuming his pain. He simply lay there, looking up at the sky above, wishing he could’ve flown out of Yang’s reach. Once upon a time, he could’ve.


	71. The True You

**71\. The True You**

“You’re a good actor,” Cinder said as he worked on repairing his prosthetics in their hideout.

The world assumed Mercury was going back home to Haven to “recuperate with his family”. If anyone needed rest, it was Emerald. She needed to be ready for that evening; for when the world came to an end thanks to her illusions.

“Oh, be a good little boy and finish your work. We’ll take you home to Haven soon,” Cinder teased.

Before she could touch him, he grabbed her hand, dragged her close and brought his screwdriver to her eye. “No.”

Cinder chuckled, pleased with his defiance, his strength. “_Good._”


	72. Pretense

**72\. Pretense**

There was something so beautiful in watching the hope drain away from Ruby’s face as he blocked her path. Ruby realized the threat he posed, the threat the current match posed, and Mercury couldn’t risk her destroying their fun. Emerald needed space to trick Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha Nikos, with all her strength and polarity, was going to fight Penny Polendina, Ironwood’s battle android. With illusions, Emerald was going to make sure Pyrrha destroyed Penny.

He wanted to watch, but he knew that stopping Ruby was more important. So, he simply relished in the fact that even though her Semblance was speed itself, he was fast enough to catch her. He was too strong.

_Semblances are a crutch, indeed._

He could best even Ruby’s speed. He still longed for his own flight.


	73. Patience

**73\. Patience**

Watching the android get accidentally eviscerated by Pyrrha Nikos caused the world to erupt into despair. The Grimm were drawn to it. Adam Taurus’ men began their terrorist attack. Roman and Neo took over the Atlesian Fleet.

Mercury was partially responsible for the end of the world. The idea of being a harbinger that had shattered this disgusting world’s pseudo-peaceful existence was _delicious. _It was like his patience had finally paid off.

Cinder gave them a simple task once their escape route was set. There was no teasing, no lust, no toying. While she murdered the Fall Maiden and completed her powers, Mercury and Emerald were going to film every last bit of violence and broadcast it to the world. They would share what divided monsters humanity and Faunus had become.


	74. Midnight

**74\. Midnight**

****When the clock struck midnight, the chaos suddenly ended.

Emerald and Mercury watched the giant Grimm Dragon, summoned by powers Cinder’s master had gifted her, destroy Beacon Tower. Their CCTS livestream came to an end, so all they had had to do was wait.

But a blur of red hair and golden flame atop the tower’s crumbling remains caught his eye. “The Invincible Girl,” he breathed. He recognized Pyrrha Nikos’ light. She was battling Cinder.

“Cinder will win,” Emerald murmured confidently.

Rose petals raced up the side of the tower. Before anyone could react, the world was covered in a bright, piercing light, consuming everything.


	75. Shadows

**75\. Shadows**

Cinder’s body was mangled to shreds. Her Maiden’s Aura kept her alive, but barely; extracting Cinder from the Grimm Dragon’s petrified, stony claws was a task, but they managed to succeed.

Emerald couldn’t stop crying. Mercury glanced down, spotting Pyrrha’s armour laying in dust beside an unconscious Ruby. He didn’t know what had happened. He didn’t care.

They had prepared their communication lines independent of the CCTS beforehand, but Roman was unreachable. Neo, too. They contacted Watts and informed him of the situation.

Cinder was a full Maiden now. They had to protect her until she woke up, mangled monster or not.


	76. Summer Haze

**76\. Summer Haze**

In the back of their airship with Watts flying them to their master, Emerald wouldn’t stop weeping, desperately cooling down Cinder’s fever. Her arm was burned clean off. Her hair was singed, crumbling. Gnarled burns blistered across the left of her face, the left socket empty, covered in jelly and blood.

She was a pitiful grotesquerie; nothing like the woman who had fed, clothed, used and twisted Mercury all these years.

He felt a sense of detachment as he looked down at her body, helping Emerald as she required.

_Well. Good job, whoever did this._ Her bleeding body reminded him too much of his father’s corpse.


	77. Memories

**77\. Memories**

****After hours upon hours of wasting away in that airship, Cinder’s remaining eye suddenly snapped open and frantically searched for a view, face twisted into a hideous snarl.

Cinder gasped, lips forming one word: _Ruby._

Emerald shrieked, “Ruby did this to you?! Cinder, please stay with us!”

Watching Emerald desperately beg for Cinder’s eyes to reopen stung Mercury. It reminded him too much of himself, all those years ago. In his arms, his Mama hadn’t opened her eyes again.

He hated Cinder, but if he was honest… he didn’t want Emerald to go through that same scenario, too. So, he scooped Cinder up when Watts landed the ship, ready to take her to people who could save her.


	78. Change in the Weather

**78\. Change in the Weather**

****Watts brought them to a hellscape of which of which Mercury had never seen before. It was a nightmare realm, the sky a deep, oozing blood-red, the ground pale pink, anemic. Pools of darkness littered the ground, the liquid so viscous that it seemed to vibrate and thrum with life. Mercury watched it all, wide-eyed and horrified, Cinder in his arms as they entered the sickening palace before them.

Inside the main hall of this twisted castle built of what looked like blood and bone, Mercury met three new faces: Tyrian Callows, Hazel Rainart…

And Cinder’s master.

Mercury had made the correct choice. Salem terrified him anyways.


	79. Illogical

**79\. Illogical**

Salem was a veritable monster, wielding some form of sorcery Mercury couldn’t even begin to name. She controlled the Grimm. She had masterminded all of the wars and conflicts in history. She was the one behind all the work Mercury had ever done.

It just felt too surreal. Mercury longed for the days of just being with Cinder and Emerald. At least then, he had felt powerful.

When Cinder finally awakened, however, he knew those days would never return. Salem gave her a Grimm’s arm, a mask to cover her brutalized face. Salem was pleased with her fully-formed Fall Maiden, vowing to heal her.

Emerald was just happy to have Cinder back. Mercury was in too deep.


	80. Only Human

**80\. Only Human**

For the first time since he was a child, Mercury felt truly alone. He was not a monster. He was the sanest of them all.

Tyrian was the pet of Salem, a serial killer who wanted to cut into Mercury’s flesh from day one. Hazel seemed normal, at first; and then, he watched the man rip a giant Grimm apart with his bare hands, and Mercury finally saw the barely caged insanity in his eyes.

Cinder was half-Grimm, half-Maiden, filled with nothing but spite for Ruby. She had lost her voice. She continued to work with Salem, trying to heal after Ruby’s attack. Emerald was happy to fill in, acting as that voice, sticking by Cinder’s side every moment of the day. In a manic haze, she ignored all of the demons trapping them in Salem’s lair.

Mercury was the only sane one. He wanted out. He knew he would never get it.


	81. A Place to Belong

**81\. A Place to Belong**

Salem wanted to destroy Haven the same way they had destroyed Beacon. It felt strange to know that Roman and Neo were likely dead. Once again, Adam Taurus offered up his faction to help. Tyrian went off to find Ruby and the Spring Maiden while Cinder focused on her recovery, Emerald never leaving her side.

Something in Cinder had cracked. She was broken, dangerous. Mercury stayed away.

Perhaps that was why he bonded with Hazel. Despite his terrifying behaviour, he was oddly gentle towards Mercury; Emerald too, when she was around.

“Ozpin killed my little sister,” he explained quietly one day. “I don’t want you kids to suffer, too.”

Perhaps that was why Mercury stayed. 


	82. Advantage

**82\. Advantage**

Time passed quicker than expected. Cinder’s voice healed, much to Emerald’s joy.

Mercury watched disgustedly as Cinder forced Emerald to conjure up illusions of Ruby Rose, burning the illusion alive over and over again for her twisted revenge fantasies.

But once Cinder had healed and Watts had found the Spring Maiden, it was their job to pay her a visit. Mercury had not missed Cinder’s voice, the woman twisting her sneering words to threaten Raven Branwen and her right hand- the Spring Maiden.

At least having Cinder there made the negotiations quick. The Spring Maiden joined their side.

While they spoke, Mercury felt like nothing but window dressing. He missed feeling like he had a role to play beyond that; but that was impossible when he was the most normal among monsters.


	83. Breakfast

**83\. Breakfast**

****Just like that, the whirlwind of preparations before their assault on Haven Academy was completed. Mercury ate his breakfast in their small Mistralian inn glumly, picking out the bell peppers and putting them to the side as he ate. Emerald ate silently at his side, carefully watching Cinder, waiting to be called upon at any moment.

But after their meal was done, Mercury’s plate was clean. Emerald had taken on all the food he had picked out without a word. He always reloaded, tuned, honed her weapons; he helped her train, helped her grow. It was a little startling to realize that she did this sort of comfortable, domestic thing with him, and he had never even realized it.****  
  



	84. Echoes

**84\. Echoes**

The battle at Haven went nothing like he had imagined.

All of Team RWBY ended up there. Team JNPR, or what was left of it, tried to fight against Cinder. Raven’s brother came to snarl at the cowardly Leonardo Lionheart, still complicit in Salem’s schemes after all these years. There were too many people to track.

Mercury’s job was simply to hold down the fort; they just had to make sure the Huntsmen were occupied until the White Fang finished planting their explosives. They just had to survive until Cinder came back with the Relic, whatever the hell it was, after killing the Spring Maiden and taking her powers.

But Cinder didn’t come back, and Ruby’s little group of friends won, and there was nothing he, nor anyone else, could do to stop them.


	85. Falling

**85\. Falling**

****He could abandon Emerald.

She wasn’t running. She was simply staring at those girls, refusing to move, her legs frozen in place. Then, she screamed, summoned an illusion of Salem, and fainted.

In the chaos... he could abandon her.

He almost did, too- the urge to run the moment Cinder did not return hit him like a sack of bricks, almost knocking the wind from his lungs. He could leave everyone behind and escape, just like Adam Taurus.

_I can’t, though. _He knew that even if he tried to run, Salem would find him eventually.

And without him… what would happen to Emerald?

So… he stayed. He had kept her alive thus far; he wouldn’t let her die now.


	86. Picking up the Pieces

**86\. Picking up the Pieces**

****Mercury gave up caring about success; with Mistralian authorities swarming the city, he just needed to escape. His prosthetics were damaged in the fight, but there was no chance to stop and perform maintenance.

Emerald was slung haphazardly across Hazel’s back, still unconscious. “Don’t worry,” the elder man huffed, his giant form tearing a path through the brush for Mercury to follow. “I’ll get you both out of here.”

Mercury wondered where his devotion came from. It was so foreign to him.

While catching their breath, Hazel handed Emerald over to Mercury. Holding her limply in his arms brought tears unbidden to his eyes. The nostalgia, the memories, the _heartache… _he didn’t think he could still feel it all.

He was _sick _of holding people like this in his arms.


	87. Gunshot

**87\. Gunshot**

Their escape route was destroyed by the arrival of the authorities, so Watts sent them a secondary pickup location upon the other side of the mountain. They slogged for days through dirt, rain and murky forest. Emerald was asleep the entire time, utterly spent after the battle.

That was what Hazel said, at least. Mercury knew differently. She likely couldn’t face reality without Cinder.

When they were almost at their rendezvous, a gunshot fired out, striking an exhausted Hazel in the shoulder. In the darkness, Mercury could see Adam Taurus’ White Fang mask flash before he darted away.

“We should _kill _that useless sonofa_-_“

“No,” Hazel growled. “We wait for Salem’s orders.”

Mercury’s mouth twitched in dissatisfaction. He was sick and tired of these ‘orders’. Nothing good came of them.


	88. Possession

**88\. Possession**

“So what now?”

Hazel carefully laid Emerald’s comatose form down onto moss, taking a seat himself and running his giant hands through sweat-soaked, matted hair. “What do you mean?”

Mercury looked up from his field repair kit. “Where do we go now? The plan was a bust, so-”

“We go back to Salem.”

“…theoretically,” Mercury began, testing the waters, “if we didn’t _want _to go-“

“Then run. Cinder isn’t keeping you here,” Hazel said plainly. “But you’re breathing because Salem wants you alive. Don’t make her change her mind.”

Mercury grimaced. “That’s what I thought you’d say.” It didn’t make the truth any easier.


	89. Twilight

**89\. Twilight**

Watts would only bring an airship over after sunset. Having finished his repairs, Mercury let his body rest, feeling his Aura slowly regenerate as he leaned back against a tree trunk in the forest, looking up at the sky through gaps in the pine needles above.

His eyes never left the sky, even as the sun began to dip over the horizon, the blue above slowly leeching into pinks and purples and oranges and reds. His fingers drummed against his prosthetics, the echo resonating in his mind.

If he had had his Semblance still, he could’ve run away. Salem would’ve never been able to catch him in the sky.


	90. Nowhere and Nothing

**90\. Nowhere and Nothing**

****Salem’s castle was just as disgusting and menacing as ever, but facing it without a buffer- without Cinder- was a different task entirely. Emerald was absolutely soulless, the girl refusing to speak, to respond to _anything, _from the moment she awoke. She wouldn’t react if Cinder wasn’t present.

Unfortunately, without Cinder to act as their shield, Tyrian decided it was time to finally play with them. He taunted and tortured them, spitting out hissing words about how Cinder’s death meant nothing, how the two of them were expendable, how Salem would destroy them-

Mercury quietly covered Emerald’s ears every time. She was too fragile. He didn’t want her to be unfixable.


	91. Answers

**91\. Answers**

****After a while, he just wanted out. He wanted answers, he wanted resolution- he wanted _something, _other than to just sit there in Salem’s lair and await further orders.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to leave; not when their faces were broadcast across every news channel in Mistral, and especially not while Cinder was still missing.

She wasn’t dead, according to Salem. Cinder was still alive, but apparently had things to ‘atone’ for. Mercury had no idea what Salem meant by her vague, sinister words, but he did know one thing.

He felt genuine relief when Emerald finally snapped out of her stupor. At least his one anchor was here.


	92. Innocence

**92\. Innocence**

****Emerald often asked him what his fitful dreams contained. He never told her about his Semblance, about his powers. He simply shrugged it off, deflecting and getting her to train with him when he could. She was far too mopey, too worried about Cinder, to properly fight him, though.

It happened a few weeks into their captivity within Salem’s castle. He realized as he looked out of the window at a red, unsettling sky that even in his dreams, he didn’t really remember what his flight had felt like anymore.

_I wouldn’t want to fly in this sky anyways, _he told himself. Those words helped, just a little. It was easier to pretend.


	93. Simplicity

**93\. Simplicity**

****The space formerly filled by Cinder was replaced by Tyrian’s harassment; the odd jab from Watts as he offhandedly upgraded Mercury’s legs; quiet check-ins from Hazel. Whenever they were alone, Emerald listlessly mumbled to herself, imagining all kinds of scenarios of what could have happened to Cinder.

Mercury focused on training, although his mind was a million miles away. He hadn’t been able to defeat Team RWBY and their friends at Haven. The next time he faced them, he would be strong enough. He’d make sure of it.

It was nice to have a goal. If nothing else, it helped distract him from the longing in his heart; the longing for simpler days of their little trio in dingy hideouts, where Mercury was treated as valuable.


	94. Reality

**94\. Reality**

****“Why did you decide to join her?”

It was an innocent question. Mercury could vaguely understand how figures like Cinder and Tyrian and Watts would have been attracted to Salem and her unfathomable power. Hazel, however, was still an enigma.

“You could’ve just sought out revenge on Ozpin another way, right?” he insisted.

Slowly, Hazel shook his head. “Ozpin’s plans will never truly be destroyed until Salem has won. So, I am going to help her win.” Turning to Mercury, he finally asked the question Mercury had been avoiding for years.

“Why are _you _still here?”

Mercury left. He needed to reflect.


	95. Acceptance

**95\. Acceptance**

****There may have been a ban against returning to society, but no one stopped him from venturing out into the Grimm-infested wastelands outside of Salem’s castle to train. Night after night, Mercury found himself slaughtering the Grimm, standing in wait beside tar-like pools of acrid darkness from which the monsters spawned. As they emerged, he cut them down over and over and over again.

There was nothing else he could do. He had made his bed and chosen his battles, and now, he was deemed as someone so useless that he was no longer even being filled in on the situation at hand. He hated this limbo, but he had little choice but to accept it.


	96. Lesson

**96\. Lesson**

****Hazel murmured, “If you need anything… let me know.”

His words were quiet but assured. Emerald watched him fearfully; she remembered what a monster he had transformed into during the battle at Haven. Mercury, on the other hand, couldn’t help but respect the large man. Hazel spoke to him with respect, too.

_If we help Salem finish this fight, _he thought to himself, _then Hazel won’t be the only one. The world will _have _to obey us, fear us. _

He repeated this thought over and over again until it was engrained into his mind. Cinder was gone, but Salem hadn’t gotten rid of them. He had a chance to attain power yet.


	97. Enthusiasm

**97\. Enthusiasm**

****It was not only Mercury who was feeling trapped. Day after day, Emerald complained about their isolation, speculating on Cinder’s whereabouts and fearfully imagining what her fate may yet be. She wanted to leave, to go help Cinder.

At first, Mercury understood. Cinder was _everything _to Emerald. And yet, over time, this desperation grew more and more grating upon his nerves, until eventually he snapped.

He couldn’t deal with her longing anymore.

However, even he wasn’t expecting his words to come tumbling out of his mouth, the feelings he had been suppressing for all of these years finally seeing daylight.

He told her about his Semblance.


	98. Game

**98\. Game**

****As they sparred, his story spilled from his lips in a fervour. Had he ever spoken of this? Had he ever confessed the horrors he had lived through, the terrible things he had seen, the monster he had once been _raised _to become?

_No, _he realized distantly, _I… I’ve never said this before. _

When he had first met Emerald, there had been a camaraderie between them, a shared sense of loss and suffering that had bound them together underneath Cinder’s wing.

But that was then, and this was now. Mercury didn’t expect Emerald to care about his pathetic story.

And yet, she did.


	99. Friendship

**99\. Friendship**

****Tyrian came in to harass them momentarily. Mercury hated his powerlessness in the face of that man. _When you get back here, _Mercury glowered silently as he finally left, _I am going to gut you. _

At least Tyrian didn’t have to worry about one thing: Mercury was indeed meant for Salem’s army. There was nowhere else an assassin like him could thrive.

The moment Tyrian left, however, Emerald’s hand was on Mercury’s arm. When Mercury glanced over to her, to his shock, she was in tears. “Why the hell are you crying now?” he groaned, exasperated. Uncomfortable with her vulnerability, so easily given after his own admissions.

“Because,” she breathed, squeezing hard on his bicep, trembling in Tyrian, in the _truth’s, _wake, “you could have abandoned me, or killed me, so many times-“

“But I didn’t.”


	100. Endings

**100\. Endings**

****He could try to run. Yet, he didn’t. Emerald would not leave as long as Cinder was missing, and although he hated Cinder, he couldn’t just leave Emerald to survive along in that godforsaken castle.

“You should just forget about her,” he breathed as she leaned on his shoulder.

“She’s all I have.” Her tears had dried, but her eyelids were still puffy. Merc watched her impassively, the longing in her gaze far too reminiscent of the woman who had once held his hand atop that hill, waiting for the monster she loved to come home.

_…I’m here. _He knew he didn’t matter.

“…Hey, Merc,” she whispered.

“…Yeah?”

“Do you ever wish for your Semblance to come back?”

_Yes, with all my heart, yes-_

Absently, he reached out towards a blood-red sky. From the start, his fate had been clear. He had never truly belonged in the sky, anyways. If he was going to get there, he would have to claw his way up by force. Maybe then he’d be able to leave this woman, this entire mess, behind him. Maybe then he’d be free to touch the sky again.

For now, though, all he could do was bide his time. His climb was only just beginning.

** _-fin-_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it’s done! I definitely was not as strict about sticking to 100 words/chapter for this fic, but I’m okay with that. It has a much different feel from writing [No Compromise](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20168998), since that fic was following Adam whose character arc was already completed; I still quite like how this messy little exploration/character study turned out, though, and I hope you enjoyed it too! Let me know what you think, and cheers for reading :)
> 
> If you're looking to read more of my work, here are some other RWBY series you can check out:
> 
> _Other RWBY series:_  
If you want to see Qrow in canon, check out my [Qrow Branwen-Centric Fic series!](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1448095)
> 
> Here are [both canon-compliant fics and complete AUs](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1690948) for RWBY. 
> 
> If you want to stay completely within RWBY's canon, here is [another series of fics for you.](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815229)
> 
> If you're looking for a long series in canon and like Team JNPR, here's a series that's a [rewrite of Vol. 1-6 through Pyrrha and Nora's eyes!](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1448071)
> 
> Cheers for reading, y'all! See you in my other fics, and let me know what you thought of this fic!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments!


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